Snaps and “Souvenirs” From Spain’s Spirited Capital

Last week Mr. Page and I went to Madrid to celebrate Mr. Page’s birthday and visit my brother who lives there (gotta love killing two birds with one stone!).

It was our first time visiting Spain’s capital city, so we obviously did all the touristy stuff, like going to museums (El Prado and Reina Sofia), renting a little rowing boat in the Buen Retiro Park, and just walking around and checking out the sights.

Oh, and we also did a little shopping!

Well, mainly I did. 😉

Our hotel was right next to a NYX store (a brand I don’t normally have offline access to), so I just had to buy my first Soft Matte Lip Cream, and obviously chose the shade Madrid (what’s a better souvenir than that, eh?). It’s a deep cool-toned red that I absolutely love, but unfortunately I don’t love the formula as much. I don’t like that I can really feel it on the lips the whole time and that it fades pretty quickly in the vertical lines. I was expecting it to perform similarly to the Sephora Cream Lip Stains, but was a little disappointed (the Sephora ones are much more comfortable and long-lasting).

At NYX, I also bought the Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie in Hibiscus Tea Punch, which is a browny nude with a shiny finish (I’ll make sure to use it in a look soon, so you can actually see what it’s like). I had been looking for a lipstick exactly like this and am very pleased with my purchase.

At the El Corte Ingles mall, I was happy to find a Jo Malone counter where I finally got a 30-ml bottle of their Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne, a clean, salty fragrance I had fallen in love with last summer when I visited the only Italian counter in Milan.

AND, while I was at the Jo Malone counter, Mr. Page (who, despite being in a beauty hall, was in particularly good spirits since I had promised to take him to the Real Madrid stadium the next day) got me the Victoria Beckham Eye Palettefrom Estée Lauder!!! I had been lusting after it since I saw the previews months ago, but didn’t get it because of the high price tag (it’s €95 in Italy, €85 in Spain).

Well, it’s everything I thought it would be and more! The leather and gold packaging is just the best ever, the color selection is a little unusual but super wearable, and the shadows are very easy to work with. So… Thanks a lot, Mr. Page!

Fashion-wise, I was looking for a versatile black handbag, and settled on this beautiful suede model from Zara, which is just the perfect size and style to be used on many different occasions, both day and night (just know that black suede stains lighter fabrics, though). We do have Zara in Italy, but since it’s a Spanish company, everything is cheaper there (the purse was €49.95), so I may or may not have also gotten a red sateen dress, which I may or may not feature in another post…

That’s all for my little Madrid haul, folks! But before I go, I’ll leave you to a few shots I took around town…

Enjoy! 🙂

Plaza Mayor is a beautiful square in central Madrid

The Mercado de San Miguel is a gourmet tapas market just off Plaza Mayor

Jamon iberico

In the 1960’s, Egypt donated the Temple of Debod to Spain as a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the Abu Simbel temples during the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The 2nd-century BC temple was dismantled in Egypt and rebuilt in Madrid!

The Royal Palace

If you go to Madrid, make sure you rent a little rowing boat at the Buen Retiro Park pond. It’s a lot of fun!

Mr Page knows how to make you happy 😉 Some loves the soft matte formula some hates, I really like the mouse like texture but yeah it is not that long lasting. Madrid is a gorgeous seasonal colour, maybe you’d come up with a makeup look using VB palette and Madrid lip cream 😉

You got yourself some lovely goodies, Carol! And you’re right, there is no comparison between Sephora Cream Lip Stain and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream with the former being more long lasting and comfortable on the lips. NYX Soft Matte lip cream is a good budget option though. xx

Cambia Lingua

Welcome to Carol in a Page!

Hi! My name is Carolina, and this is my crazy corner of the internet, where you'll be sure to find makeup musings, random ramblings, slight sarcasm, and, apparently, lots of annoying alliterations.
You've been warned.